mappinghttp://www.maclife.com/taxonomy/term/13053/all
enGoogle Maps for iOS Updated with Several New and Enhanced Featureshttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/google_maps_ios_updated_several_new_and_enhanced_features
<!--paging_filter--><p class="p1"><img src="/files/u297092/photo1.jpg" width="620" height="349" /></p><p class="p1">Google is showing a bit more attention on the iOS side of things lately. Last week, it <a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/gallery/standalone_google_docs_and_sheets_apps_released_slides_come">split off Docs and Sheets apps</a> (with Slides incoming) from Google Drive for increased visibility, and now today, the company <a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2014/05/get-on-road-go-off-grid-or-plan-perfect.html">updated its Google Maps app</a> to a 3.0.0 version with several new and upgraded features.</p><p class="p1">Chief among them is an official offline maps option, which lets you save them for network-free browsing — ideal for international travel or when exploring areas with minimal reception. Google Maps for iOS also receives a major turn-by-turn navigation boost with this latest update, adding lane recommendations while driving and making it easier to check out alternate routes when on the move.</p><p class="p1">Walking and transit results are also improved in the latest edition, letting you see the total amount of time for an on-foot trip, as well as when the next scheduled train or bus will arrive. You can also search for destinations — like restaurants and bars — by hours, price level, and other variables.</p><p class="p1">And for fans of ridesharing/cab service Uber, today’s update integrates it as a transportation option for those with the Uber app installed. You’ll be able to compare the estimated time to get an Uber ride to the destination against that of walking or public transportation, and then flip right to the actual app to follow through with such plans.</p><p class="p1">Other tweaks like access to iOS contacts and Google Voice Search capabilities help make the app even more useful than ever, and as always, it’s <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-maps/id585027354?mt=8">available from the App Store</a> for free.</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/google_maps_ios_updated_several_new_and_enhanced_features#commentsNewsApp StoreAppsDirectionsGooglegoogle mapsiOSiPod and iPhonemappingMapsNavigationpublic transitiPadiPhoneiPodTue, 06 May 2014 22:56:33 +0000Andrew Hayward19905 at http://www.maclife.comApple Reportedly Testing User Notifications for Fixes to Built-In Mapshttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_reportedly_testing_user_notifications_fixes_builtin_maps
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/apple_maps_report_a_problem_620px.png" alt="Apple Maps report a problem" width="620" height="300" /></p><p>Have you ever bothered to report an incorrect location found on Apple Maps? Soon, Cupertino may actually notify users when those fixes have been implemented using push notifications right to your device.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/09/apple-testing-maps-notifications-to-inform-users-of-fixed-problems/" target="_blank">MacRumors reported Tuesday</a> that Apple appears to be testing a new use for push notifications with its built-in Maps app, which would actually inform the device owner when a reported issue has been fixed.<br /><br />Apple has quietly been making great strides forward with the beleaguered Maps app, which was initially introduced alongside iOS 6. Allowing users to be notified when reported problems could be the next step in that process, according to several MacRumors readers who have seen them in action.<br /><br />According to those forum members, when reporting an incorrect location, the Maps app offers them the option to be notified when the problem is resolved, courtesy of a push notification straight to the device. Opening the notification launches Maps with the corrected information, thanking the user for reporting the issue in the first place.<br /><br />We recall seeing a few pretty glaring Maps inaccuracies, such as a general search for San Diego, California which placed the pin more than an hour's drive from the city in question -- and went unfixed months after we repeatedly reported it.<br /><br />While that issue now appears to be resolved, notifying users of fixes could go a long way toward instilling confidence in Apple's built-in solution. Any readers seeing the ability to request notification when reporting a problem?<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_reportedly_testing_user_notifications_fixes_builtin_maps#commentsNewsApple Mapsapple searchfixesiOS 6ios deviceslocationmappingMapsProblemspush notificationsreport a problemiPadiPhoneiPodMacWed, 09 Apr 2014 12:49:30 +0000J.R. Bookwalter19713 at http://www.maclife.comApple Acquires HopStop, Locationary in Possible Effort to Improve Apple Mapshttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_acquires_hopstop_locationary_possible_effort_improve_apple_maps
<!--paging_filter--><p>Apple clearly wants to improve its much-maligned Maps app, and it's apparently drawing from its vast financial resources to take the shortest route to improvement possible. How? It's trying to buy everyone who does it better (apart, of course, from Google). As <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-19/apple-said-to-buy-hopstop-pushing-deeper-into-maps.html" target="_blank">Bloomberg </a>reports, Apple acquired data firm Locationary this morning, and now word just came in that it's also planning to acquire the transit app HopStop.</p><p>Both choices reflect that Apple's trying to address two of the key criticisms of Apple Maps--namely, that the directions often send you blocks away from your intended destination and that it inexplicably omits public transit routes for some major cities. Based on our own experiences with HopStop in particular, the companies Apple's buying are good choices. Back in September, we even singled out HopStop as <a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/columns/free_app_help_you_be_less_angry_maps_ios_6" target="_blank">"A Free App to Help You Be Less Angry at Maps in iOS 6."</a></p><p><img src="/files/u334114/2013/07/applemaps3d.jpg" width="620" height="349" /></p><p>In Bloomberg's words, "HopStop shows users in more than 500 cities the fastest way to travel by foot, bike, subway and car; Locationary deploys real-time data from a variety of sources to help users find featured businesses." Bloomberg notes that its sources asked not to be identified since the HopStop deal wasn't public.</p><p>Previously Apple acquired Placebase, C3, and Poly9 <a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/news/4_new_features_apple_maps_ios" target="_blank">ahead of the launch of iOS 6</a>. That's now five acquisitions Apple's made in its attempt to make a map app that can stand up to Google--with these two, let's hope that Apple finally gets us where we want to go.</p><p><em> Follow this article's writer, <a href="https://twitter.com/LeifJohnson" target="_blank">Leif Johnson</a>, on Twitter.</em></p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/apple_acquires_hopstop_locationary_possible_effort_improve_apple_maps#commentsNewsApple MapsDirectionsHopStopLocationarymappingpublic transitFri, 19 Jul 2013 22:41:06 +0000Leif Johnson17577 at http://www.maclife.comSony Unveils Android-Powered, Water-Resistant SmartWatch 2http://www.maclife.com/article/news/sony_unveils_androidpowered_waterresistant_smartwatch_2
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/1smartwatch2blackangled_620px.png" alt="Sony SmartWatch 2" width="620" height="300" /></p><p>Seems like WWDC 2013 put the kibosh on crazy Apple smart watch rumors for a little while, but Sony is ready to stir that pot back to boiling with the introduction of its own Android-friendly wristwatch.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/25/sony-smartwatch-2-water-resistant-android/" target="_blank">Engadget reported Tuesday</a> that Sony has announced a followup to its first attempt at a smart wristwatch. Now powered by Google's Android operating system, the SmartWatch 2 will start rolling out globally in September, just in time for the holiday season.<br /><br />Sony bills the SmartWatch 2 as a "second screen for your Android smartphone," capable of handling phone calls, taking photos remotely using a smartphone app, control presentations and even read downloaded emails when the phone isn't connected.<br /><br />"Sony is the proud leader in the smart watch market since introducing our first Bluetooth watch in 2007," proclaimed Stefan K Persson, Head of Companion Products at Sony Mobile Communications.<br /><br />"Competitors are only now launching first generation devices, while we are already launching a third-generation device with all the insight gained from over half a million customers combined with Sony's wealth of technology expertise to create the best ever smart watch experience."<br /><br />SmartWatch 2 includes a built-in mapping app for checking your route without having to pull the phone out of your pocket, and the same functionality can also be used for selecting music tracks to play, with complete control over volume.<br /><br />The shock and water-resistant design certainly looks handsome enough, but Sony neglected to say how much it will cost or specifically when it will wash ashore in America.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter<br /></a><br />(Image courtesy of Engadget)</em></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/sony_unveils_androidpowered_waterresistant_smartwatch_2#commentsNewsandroidConnectivityemailsmappingsmart watchsmartphonesSmartWatch 2SonywearableswristwatchTue, 25 Jun 2013 13:40:51 +0000J.R. Bookwalter17365 at http://www.maclife.comAustralian Police Warning Motorists About Inaccurate iOS 6 Map Datahttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/australian_police_warning_motorists_about_inaccurate_ios_6_map_data
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/ios_6_map_data_mildura_austailia_200px.png" alt="Bad Australian map data" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" />Apple's new iOS 6 Maps app is back in hot water again, this time sending Australian motorists off the beaten track in a remote national park area without food or water.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.vicpolicenews.com.au/more-news/11081-police-concerned-with-apple-ios-6-mapping-system.html" target="_blank">Victoria Police News is reporting</a> that authorities in Mildura, Australia have issued a warning to motorists relying on Apple's latest Maps app built into iOS 6, which reportedly has been sending a number of users "off the beaten track in recent weeks."<br /><br />The problem appears to be directly targeted at the remote Murray-Sunset National Park area, where distressed motorists are finding themselves apparently abandoned after following iOS 6 Maps when their intended destination is actually Mildura itself, a city located 70km away.<br /><br />"Police are extremely concerned as there is no water supply within the Park and temperatures can reach as high as 46 degrees (nearly 115º F), making this a potentially life threatening issue," the report noted on Monday.<br /><br />"Some of the motorists located by police have been stranded for up to 24 hours without food or water and have walked long distances through dangerous terrain to get phone reception."<br /><br />Authorities in Mildura have been in touch with Apple to get the bad mapping data corrected in an effort to "ensure the safety of motorists" traveling to the area.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/australian_police_warning_motorists_about_inaccurate_ios_6_map_data#commentsNewsabandonedApple MapsaustraliadrivingGPS NavigationiOS 6ios mapsmappingMapsNavigationtraveliPhoneMon, 10 Dec 2012 14:12:25 +0000J.R. Bookwalter15770 at http://www.maclife.comReport Claims "No Quick Fix" for Apple Mapshttp://www.maclife.com/article/news/report_claims_no_quick_fix_apple_maps
<!--paging_filter--><p><img src="/files/u220903/ios_6_maps_app_200px.png" alt="iOS 6 Maps" width="200" height="150" class="graphic-right" />Now that Apple CEO Tim Cook has publicly acknowledged the problem with the new iOS 6 Maps app, all eyes are on Cupertino as we wait to see how they'll fix the issues. Unfortunately, there may be no quick fix this time around.<br /><a href="http://www.bgr.com/2012/10/01/apple-maps-criticism-fix-requires-new-staff-infrastructure/" target="_blank"><br />BGR is reporting</a> that Apple may have its work cut out for it fixing the new Maps app in iOS 6. <a href="http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429365/hey-apple-mapping-takes-more-work-than-you-think/?ref=rss" target="_blank">According to Technology Review</a>, it's going to take a lot of money, manpower and time to make things right.<br /><br />“Google has found a way to integrate active crowdsourcing on a level that Apple has not yet attempted,” TeleMapics president Michael Dobson told Technology Review. “I don’t believe Apple has more than a couple of hundred people working on this at this point… Apple may attempt it, but they certainly don’t have any system that allows this kind of wholesale crowdsourcing.”<br /><br />Worse yet, Google is said to employ more than 7,000 people just for Maps alone. No one knows exactly how many warm bodies are busy at One Infinite Loop doing the same on Apple's latest solution -- but counting on users for quick fixes isn't likely to get the job done.<br /><br />“The millions of errant labels on points of interest like businesses… requires new data sources and easier ways to contribute fixes, as well as enough willing map-fixers in geographically dispersed regions,” Technology Review notes.<br /><br />Of course, Apple plenty of money to throw at the problem, which just leaves the issues of time and manpower to resolve -- and at least one of those could also be solved with their enormous hoard of cash.<br /><br /><em>Follow this article’s author, <a href="http://twitter.com/JRBTempe" target="_blank">J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter</a></em></p><p>&nbsp;</p>http://www.maclife.com/article/news/report_claims_no_quick_fix_apple_maps#commentsNews3D mapsApple Inc.Apple Mapsbags o' moneycrowdsourcingdatagoogle mapsmanpowermappingMapsiPadiPhoneiPodMon, 01 Oct 2012 13:03:28 +0000J.R. Bookwalter15195 at http://www.maclife.com